Markus Andrews

Boris Johnson held a lockdown-busting party in his No 10 garden because he “felt sorry” for his hardworking staff, a Tory MP says.Michael Fabricant defended the gathering in May 2020 – while other Conservatives criticised the prime minister – but admitted there might be a problem “from the rules point of view”.But he came under fire for claiming the event “would not have increased the risk of contagion” and was an escape valve for “key workers” working in Downing Street.Jacqui Smith, the former Labour home secretary was among a deluge of people who responded to tweets posted by the colourful MP for Lichfield in Staffordshire.Ms Smith, who worked for a hospital trust in Birmingham during the first lockdown, told him: “Michael. Now you’re just making me angry.”She said the argument would also have applied to staff at that trust, but added: “They wouldn’t have dreamt of organising a byob [bring your own booze] party!”Speaking on BBC News, Mr Fabricant said “exhausted” No 10 staff were “working 18 hours” – and that Mr Johnson’s “failing” was “loyalty to his friends and loyalty to his staff”.“From the rules point of view, that’s going to be decided by Sue Gray [the civil servant leading the inquiry] and the Metropolitan Police and we’ll have to see what happens,” he said.“What I’m trying to explain is that Boris and others felt sorry for people who are working long, long hours and they were simply spilling out from their own offices into a secure garden, which is an integral part of number 10 Downing Street.“And you know what? I’d rather have a prime minister who felt for his staff and all those hard-working people than some cold fish who really couldn’t care a toss about them.”more follows More

Boris Johnson’s ethical adviser has said he expects to be given “considerably greater” authority, independence and power as a result of the spat over the prime minister’s flat refurbishment.The comments came in response to a letter from a parliamentary watchdog committee asking Christopher Geidt whether he felt he should be allowed to launch his own inquiries into allegations of ministerial wrongdoing.Lord Geidt’s response appears to indicate that he is pushing for this power. At present he can propose an investigation but can only proceed if requested to do so by the prime minister.Mr Johnson was forced to apologise last week after it emerged that he failed to provide Geidt with details of all his communications with the Tory donor who funded the £142,000 refit of his flat above 11 Downing Street.In a letter to the House of Commons Public Administration Committee, released today, the peer said that the incident showed that “insufficient care” was being granted by the government to him in his role as independent adviser.He told the committee’s chair, Tory MP William Wragg: “The episode shook my confidence precisely because potential and real failures of process occurred in more than one part of the apparatus of government.“These failures were not, in my view, due to a lack of investigatory powers, but rather they showed insufficient care for the role of Independent Adviser.”Writing to Lord Geidt to offer a “humble and sincere apology” last month, Mr Johnson promised that he would be provided with more support from officials and “the highest standards of support and attention when pursuing your work”.Geidt told Mr Wragg in today’s letter that as a result “I would expect by the time of my next annual report in April to be able to describe the role of independent adviser in terms of considerably greater authority, independence and effect, consistent with the ambitions for the office that the prime minister has set out.”The independent Committee on Standards in Public Life has recommended new powers for the independent adviser to initiate inquiries without the need for the PM’s instruction. Asked for his views on this recommendation, Lord Geidt told Mr Wragg: “As set out in the exchange of letters with the prime minister. I will also consider other aspects, both of the remit of the appointment and of the ministerial code itself, as recommended in various recent reports – including the report… by the Committee on Standards in Public Life.” More

Boris Johnson has been accused of “running scared” of Parliament after sending a junior minister to respond to an urgent question over a Covid rule-breaking drinks party held in the No 10 garden in 2020.It comes as the prime minister faces intense pressure over his own involvement and yesterday dodged questions over whether he attended the event where over 100 Downing Street staff were invited to “bring your own booze” on 20 May, 2020.At the time, England was only just emerging from a national lockdown and people were still banned from meeting more than one other person outside — a restriction the public were reminded of just an hour before the No 10 gathering.Last night, the Met police said they were “in contact” with the Cabinet Office over reports of the event and Angela Rayner, the deputy Labour leader, demanded Mr Johnson respond to an urgent question in the Commons on Tuesday.However, the prime minister’s official spokesperson said Michael Ellis, the paymaster general, would be dispatched to answer questions from MPs, rather than Mr Johnson, insisting it was “not uncommon for government ministers to answer these sorts of questions”.They added the next time the public was likely to see Mr Johnson was at prime minister’s questions on Wednesday.In response, the Liberal Democrats accused Mr Johnson of dodging Parliament and also suggested he should be grilled by an emergency session of Parliament’s Liaison Committee of senior backbenchers over the rule-busting drinks.In a letter to the chair of the committee, Sir Bernard Jenkin, the party said the prime minister was “hiding behind the smokescreen” of an inquiry spearheaded by senior civil servant Sue Gray, who has been tasked with investigating allegations of rule breaking in government buildings.Wendy Chamberlain, the Liberal Democrats’ chief whip, said: “Boris Johnson cannot be allowed to hide the truth from the public and Parliament any longer,“He is running scared of today’s debate, while using Sue Gray’s inquiry as a smokescreen and hoping the issue will just go away.”She added: “This simply won’t wash at a time when the public is clamouring for answers, and when it appears that Boris Johnson misled Parliament.“We need an emergency sessions now of the Liaison Committee so MPs can grill Boris Johnson, find out what role he had in organising this party and whether he attended. Parliament has a critical role to play in holding the prime minister to account. MPs have a duty to the public to do just that.”Earlier, the health minister Edward Argar, who faced questions over the event during morning broadcast interviews, acknowledged public anger over the drinks allegedly attended by Mr Johnson and his wife, Carrie.But he refused to be drawn on details of the May 20 2020 “socially distanced drinks”, insisting it was a matter for Ms Gray’s investigation. More

Boris Johnson’s failure to stamp down on multiple allegations of Tory sleaze and rule-breaking may be more than “carelessness”, an ethics watchdog has suggested.Jonathan Evans also warned the prime minister that the scandals – from the “Owen Paterson affair”, to the funding of his luxury flat refit, to “partygate” – had reached “cut through” with an angry public.Mr Johnson has rejected calls to beef up anti-sleaze powers made by the committee on standards in public life, including giving up his veto on whether ministers are investigated for sleaze.But Lord Evans, the committee’s head, pointed to the numerous controversies now rocking the government, including the leaked email revealing 100 people were invited to a lockdown-busting party in the No 10 garden.“All of those, I think, have demonstrated that there is, at least, a carelessness amongst people in government issues – and possibly no more than that,” he told an inquiry by MPs.“You only need to look at the media reporting, the front pages of the newspapers over the last few months – and to some extent the polling – to suggest that people are concerned about these issues.“This is an issue which has reached what they call ‘cut through’ – people care and feel that those people who are represent them in parliament, and are being paid to undertake public roles, should be living up to the standards they profess to live up to.”William Wragg, the Tory chair of the Commons public administration committee – and vice-chair of the backbench 1922 Committee – backed Lord Evans, saying: “That’s quite correct, for what it’s worth.Lord Evans also backed Sue Gray, the civil servant investigating the evidence of multiple No 10 parties in breach of Covid rules, to get to the bottom of the controversy.“I have no doubt that she will follow the facts and come forward with her recommendations without fear or failure,” he told the committee.The committee called, last year, for ethics watchdogs to be given proper teeth by being put on statutory basis, including the committee advising whether ex-ministers should take on private jobs linked to their former roles.The advisory committee on business appointments (Acoba) should also be able to ban ex-ministers from lobbying for up to five years after leaving government, it said.And sanctions, such as fines, should be introduced for ignoring the rules, its report said – with informal lobbying reported to officials.But Mr Johnson has shown no interest in adopting the crackdown, actively rejecting the proposal for him to lose the power to decide whether investigations are launched for possible breaches of the ministerial code.That idea will now be the subject of his talks with Christopher Geidt, his adviser on ministerial interests, who investigated the ‘flatgate’ controversy.Lord Evans told MPs on the committee: “We have seen a whole series of issues over the last few months: the Owen Paterson affair, the attempt to change the rules over standards investigations in the middle of the investigation into Mr Paterson’s actions, the questions around the redecoration of Downing Street, in particular the very bad processes that were clearly in place for keeping Lord Geidt properly informed, the Greensill affair – and now partygate.” More

Downing Street’s own staff criticised the garden party hosted at No.10 in the height of the Covid-19 lockdown, leaked messages show.One staff member asked “Is this for real?” after getting a message from Boris Johnson’s principal private secretary Martin Reynolds inviting them to “bring your own booze”.Another said: “Um. Why is Martin [Reynolds] encouraging a mass gathering in the garden?”, according to the texts reported by the BBC.The prime minister and his wife were said to have attended the event of around 40 people, which has been added to the list of bashes investigated by senior civil servant Sue Gray.It comes after the Metropolitan Police contacted the Cabinet Office over “alleged breaches of the Health Protection Regulations at Downing Street on May 20 2020″. Boris Johnson yesterday refused to answer questions about whether he and his wife Carrie were at the party, which took place when social gatherings were strictly limited.Shadow climate change secretary Ed Miliband told BBC News on Tuesday morning: “He’s got to come clean, he’s got to explain himself and not hide behind inquiries. I do say this though: I think his position is going to be very, very difficult if it gets to the position where he has broken the rules and potentially broken the law on this incredibly serious matter so flagrantly.”Let’s take this one step at a time but I think we should be in no doubt about how grave the situation is in relation to the integrity of the person who’s leading the country.”Angela Rayner, deputy leader of the opposition party, said Boris Johnson’s “deflections and distractions are no longer tenable”.”The truth is out now. Not only did Boris Johnson know about the parties, he attended them and he lied.“It’s time for the Prime Minister to stop hiding behind Whitehall inquiries and finally come clean.”The leaked email invite from Mr Reynolds for the May 20 gathering, which was obtained by ITV News says: “Hi all,“After what has been an incredibly busy period we thought it would be nice to make the most of the lovely weather and have some socially distanced drinks in the No10 garden this evening.“Please join us from 6pm and bring your own booze!”That event came just five days after another gathering in No.10’s garden where Mr Johnson and wife Carrie Johnson were pictured having cheese and wine. The events are separate from the various lockdown-breaking Christmas parties and leaving drinks which took place at the address. More

The Met Police is in contact with the Cabinet Office after explosive revelations about a reported drinks party at Downing Street during the country’s first Covid lockdown.In a leaked email the prime minister’s private secretary, Martin Reynolds, invited more than 100 Downing Street employees to “bring your own booze”.Mr Reynolds said they should “make the most of the lovely weather”, despite England being under tough Covid-19 restrictions in May 2020.The revelations have piled further pressure on Boris Johnson, with the Met confirming on Monday evening it has contacted the Cabinet Office over “alleged breaches of the Health Protection Regulations at Downing Street on May 20 2020.”Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner said Mr Johnson “should be ashamed” and described further claims of rule-breaking at No 10 as “despicable”.The party on May 20 comes just five days after another gathering that took place in the garden of No10 where Mr Johnson and wife Carrie Johnson were pictured having wine and cheese.The leaked email was sent by Mr Reynolds who has worked in Mr Johnson’s private office since October 2019, as reported by ITV News.The full email says: “Hi all,“After what has been an incredibly busy period we thought it would be nice to make the most of the lovely weather and have some socially distanced drinks in the No10 garden this evening.“Please join us from 6pm and bring your own booze!”According to the broadcaster around 40 people are said to have attended the party, including the prime minister and his partner.Mr Johnson has not said if he attended the gathering on May 20, 2020, but a source told The Independent he had “hung out” with staff for at least an hour as they knocked back drinks.Sue Gray, a senior civil servant, is already investigating allegations of other lockdown-breaking gatherings in government.A Cabinet official has already confirmed she is investigating the May 20 event as part of her inquiry, along with the separate May 15 2020 garden gathering.On May 20 2020 when Mr Reynolds sent his email the country was slowly making its way out of the first Covid lockdown. All non-essential shops were shut, hospitality remained closed and there was no mixing indoors.Just days earlier Mr Johnson had slightly relaxed the harsh restrictions and allowed people to meet outside from different households if social distancing was maintained.The Met Police had tweeted out a warning encouraging the public to adhere to the continued strict Covid rules as the sun began to shine in Spring.Hannah Brady, a spokeswoman for Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice, said it made her “sick” to think No 10 staff “partied” in the days after her father’s death.“My Dad died just four days before this email was sent out, he was only 55 and was a fit and healthy key worker,” she said in a statement.“Those days will stay with me for the rest of my life – just like the families of the 353 people that died that day, my family couldn’t even get a hug from our friends.“To think that whilst it was happening Boris Johnson was making the ‘most of the weather’ and throwing a party for 100 people is truly beyond belief.”A spokesman for Scotland Yard said: “The Metropolitan Police Service is aware of widespread reporting relating to alleged breaches of the Health Protection Regulations at Downing Street on May 20 2020 and is in contact with the Cabinet Office.”No 10 said it would not be commenting on the allegations while Ms Gray’s probe is under way. More

More than 100 Downing Street staff were invited to a lockdown-breaking party in the No 10 garden and told to “bring your own booze”, a leaked email shows.The revelation heaps fresh pressure on Boris Johnson, who refused to say whether he had attended, but a source told The Independent he had “hung out” with staff for at least an hour as they knocked back drinks.The party took place on 20 May 2020, as England was still emerging from the strict first Covid lockdown and meetings with more than one other person outdoors were still banned.On Monday evening the Metropolitan Police said they were “in contact” with the Cabinet Office relating to alleged breaches of the Health Protection Regulations in No 10 on 20 May.It also came five days after another party, where the prime minister and his wife were pictured with officials having wine and cheese in the garden, as reported by The Independent.Sources told The Independent there had been further No 10 gatherings during lockdown that had yet to come to light. An investigation into the events is being carried out by senior civil servant Sue Gray.According to ITV News, the leaked email was sent by Mr Johnson’s principal private secretary, Martin Reynolds, to over 100 employees in Downing Street.The email stated: “Hi all. After what has been an incredibly busy period it would be nice to make the most of the lovely weather and have some socially distanced drinks in the No 10 garden this evening. Please join us from 6pm and bring your own booze!”Around 30-40 staff attended, the broadcaster said, including Mr Johnson and his wife, Carrie.An hour before the gathering, cabinet minister Oliver Dowden had told members of the public at a live news conference: “You can meet one person outside your household in an outdoor, public place, provided that you stay two metres apart.”On the same day, the Metropolitan Police also reminded members of the public on its social media feed that they were permitted to enjoy the weather, but that they must do so “on your own”, “with people you live with”, or “just you and one other person”.Dominic Cummings, the prime minister’s former chief adviser, had already urged a senior civil servant to investigate the gathering.Asked about the event – following Mr Cummings’s allegations last week – Mr Johnson refused to say whether he had attended the 20 May party, insisting that Sue Gray, the senior official charged with investigating rule breaking on various occasions, was looking into the matter.“All that, as you know, is the subject of a proper investigation by Sue Gray,” he said. Pressed on the subject, he repeated: “All that is a subject for investigation by Sue Gray.” No 10 also denied reports that Mr Reynolds would be moved from his current role.A source also told The Independent there were “more parties” that would come to light if Ms Gray “gets the info she ought to get”. However, they added that it was “deeply wrong” that officials would “get the blame” when their actions were sanctioned by the prime minister.“He was there for [the parties]. He encouraged people to drink and drank himself. And it was a clear untruth for No 10 to suggest that there was nothing that could be described as [a party],” they said. “It was shocking that they even tried to claim that.”These events, indoors and outdoors at No 10, were on several occasions “most definitely not work meetings”, they added.The events – most of which were smaller than the 20 May gathering – often included drinks in the garden, but would shift inside for snacks and pizza as it got cold, sources said.Writing on his Substack blog last week, Mr Cummings said: “On Wednesday 20 May … a senior No 10 official invited people to ‘socially distanced drinks’ in the garden.”Alongside one other No 10 special adviser, the former No 10 adviser claimed he had said that the event “seemed to be against the rules and should not happen”.He added: “We were ignored. I was ill and went home to bed early that afternoon but am told this event definitely happened. In my opinion the official who organised this should anyway have been removed that summer because of his failures over Covid. I said this repeatedly to the PM.”Reacting, Labour’s deputy leader, Angela Rayner, said Mr Johnson had “consistently shown that he has no regard for the rules he puts in place for the rest of us”.“He is trying to get officials to take the fall for his own mistakes, but he sets the tone for the way Downing Street and the rest of government operates,” she said.“At the time this party took place, key workers on the front line were working around the clock to keep us all safe, people suffered loneliness and loss in unimaginably tough circumstances, and for the majority of the country our freedom was limited to a daily walk.“Labour has welcomed Sue Gray’s inquiry, but we need confirmation that this latest revelation, and any other parties not yet revealed by press investigations, will be covered by her probe.”The Liberal Democrat leader, Sir Ed Davey, said Monday’s leaked email was “yet more evidence that while the vast majority of people were sticking to the rules, those in No 10 were breaking them”, and demanded that Mr Johnson be interviewed by Ms Gray.“It is a kick in the teeth for everyone who has sacrificed so much during the pandemic, from those who weren’t able to visit loved ones in hospital to nurses left wearing binbags as PPE,” he added.Downing Street has been contacted for comment. 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Boris Johnson has admitted he must do more to protect families from a £600 energy bill hike but is scrambling for a solution just weeks before the crisis is set to strike.The prime minister revealed he has taken personal control of the controversy, as he was accused of a “vacuum of leadership” by Labour, which has put forward a plan to hold down costs.Ministers have focused on boosting the £140-a-year warm homes discount for the poorest households when the energy price cap soars in April, but Mr Johnson has now appeared to acknowledge that will not be enough.“We’ve got to help people, particularly people on low incomes. We’ve got to help people with the cost of their fuel and that’s what we going to do,” he said.But a government source admitted ministers are not close to deciding on a rescue package to hold down bills, calling progress “exceptionally slow-burning”.“At this stage, I can’t say where we will land,” the source said on the options that have been discussed in talks between ministers and the energy industry for several weeks now.Mr Johnson has ruled out removing VAT from all bills while a cabinet minister also ridiculed Labour’s plan for a windfall tax on bumper oil and gas profits – even though former Conservative chancellor Norman Lamont suggested it could work.Anxious Tory backbenchers are questioning why the government is dragging its heels with the new, higher price cap – tipped to soar from £1,277 a year to at least £1,865 – to be announced on 7 February.Keir Starmer attacked the delay, setting out how would save most households at least £200 and slash the bills of low and middle-earners and pensioners by up to £600.“Energy bills are going through the roof. That particularly impacts the elderly and the vulnerable and the government is doing absolutely nothing about it. They are asleep at the wheel,” the Labour leader said.Bills are set to rise in April because of unprecedented wholesale energy costs, combined with rising inflation, stagnant wages and tax hikes to create a cost-of-living crisis weeks before crucial local elections.The number of UK households living in fuel poverty is on course to hit 6 million this spring, up from the current 4 million. It would be the highest level since records began in 1996.Mr Johnson, distracted by the Omicron crisis, finally met Rishi Sunak on Sunday evening to discuss a way out of the crisis.On a visit to a vaccine centre, he admitted rising prices are “making life very tough”, adding: “I understand how difficult it is for people; I understand the pressures that people are facing on household finances.”When it was put to him that “targeted support” would not be enough when most households are going to be hit by the squeeze, the prime minister agreed the government must “help people with the cost of their fuel”.Ministers are continuing to hold talks with energy bosses, but are sceptical about an industry plan for a £20bn loan scheme to help defer massive price rises.They say the energy companies have not been specific about government involvement – or whether the money would be borrowed privately – and that not all firms back the idea anyway.On Sunday, education secretary Nadhim Zahawi claimed Labour’s plan “doesn’t add up”, saying: “A windfall tax on oil and gas companies that are already struggling in the North Sea is never going to cut it.”But Labour says 9.3 million working families would save £600 by extending the warm homes discount to all those with children and claiming universal credit – instead of only those with incomes below £16,190, with a child who is under five or disabled. The party would raise £6.6bn to fund it, from a windfall tax on North Sea oil and gas profits (£1.2bn), oil and gas receipts (£2.3bn) and higher than expected VAT receipts (£3.1bn). More